


Fahrenheit 451

by Tienwashere



Series: Yuri on Ice AU shorts [1]
Category: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Fahrenheit 451 AU, First Kiss, M/M, Yuuri is just being sweet and is unbeknownst to the fact that he's changing the world, and victor also stops burning people's shit down, phichit also owns the books, victor is a fireman, yuuri owns books
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-09-28 06:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10077698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tienwashere/pseuds/Tienwashere
Summary: “You live a…a wonderful life, and you’re willing to risk it all for books?” Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise.“Books are wonderful.” Yuuri responded simply(Or the Fahrenheit 451 au that no one asked for)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I jotted this down on a notebook one day and decided to post. I'm considering maybe writing a prequel as well?
> 
> Un-beta'ed. Sorry.

****“Have you ever picked up one of the books?” Yuuri asked. “Out of curiosity? Ever?”

“I was a fireman. Of course not.”

Yuuri sighed. “It worries me how people don’t think to question everything. Books are truly amazing, and they do far more good than harm.” He murmured, padding over to the bookcase. It was full of knickknacks, rather than books, but… “Come here.” He beckoned him over and reached into the bookcase. One of the back panels popped off, and Yuuri retrieved a book from behind it.

“You live a…a wonderful life, and you’re willing to risk it all for books?” Victor raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Books are wonderful.” Yuuri responded simply, running his hands over the cover. “This one is called the Wizard of Oz. Lose it and I’ll kill you.”

Victor was momentarily taken aback before seeing Yuuri crack up at his reaction.

“You’re really trusting me with this?” He asked, taking the book like it was made of glass. He held it in front him, gingerly turning the pages.

“I figured if you wanted to burn down my house you could’ve done it already.”

“Yuuri! I would never!” Victor looked aghast.

“You did to so many others.” Yuuri pointed out, then immediately regretted saying. Victor’s face fell. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“

“No, it’s true. I might as well live up to it.”

Yuuri took a deep breath. “Why me? Why did you listen to me? Why stop because of me?”

“You seemed…different. The others saw me as a monster. You spoke to me like…an ally. Well, after you stopped being afraid of me.”

“An ally?” Yuuri’s eyes were fixed to the floor.

“I…” Victor trailed off as Yuuri lifted his head to face him.

Close. Too close. Victor realized he wasn’t going to be able to look away. Yuuri’s lips were slightly parted, a bit chapped, but no less alluring.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out Victor Nikiforov was beautiful. He vainly flaunted it like a peacock, embracing his silver hair and his labradorite blue irises. But Yuuri kept his beauty well-hidden, trying his best to be ordinary. To be extraordinary would be to draw attention to himself, and he couldn’t risk that.

Still, it was difficult to mask the bourbon color his eyes took on in the late afternoon light streaming through the window. Flecks of gold surrounded his pupils, and the sight took Victor’s breath away.

He ducked down and caught Yuuri’s lips in his own. It was an innocent kiss, and Victor felt something swell in his chest when Yuuri tip-toed to meet him halfway.

A door was unlocked upstairs. Victor broke away.

“I have to go.” He regretfully murmured, slipping the book into the breast pocket of his coat. “I’ll return this soon.”

“Okay.” Yuuri stared at him distractedly as the other man ran dashed out the door.

Moments later, Phichit found Yuuri staring into space with his lips turned up in a smile.

“Now who did this to you?” He grinned, hopping down the stairs to poke his best friend.

“I let him borrow the Wizard of Oz.”

“Your annotated copy?”

“…yeah.”

“Well, if he wasn’t already in love with you,” Phichit laughed. “he sure will be soon.”


	2. These Are the Things we Lost in the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The death of Celestino Cialdini, and the first meeting of Yuuri and Victor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Prequel to the first chapter I said I might write. Un-beta'd

    Victor watched as Celestino Cialdini’s mansion-turned-library went up in flames, with the Italian man still inside. Heat bombarded the crew in waves, rolling off the cement.

_“If you burn my books, you’ll have to burn me as well.”_

_“Light them up. If he dies, it’s his own fault.”_

    “Are you sure this was a good idea Yakov?” Georgi asked. Victor felt something unsettling in his gut, but he ignored it. This was his job. It was his duty. He led this raid. He needed to see it through.

    “We gave the man warning, and that is all we can do. He knew what would happen and he chose his fate!” Yakov snapped.

    “OH MY GOD!” A shout came from across the street. Victor turned to see two young men running towards the house.

    “Hey! You have to stay back!” Yuri yelled at them, but they ignored him. The man with bronze skin and dark eyes stopped abruptly in front of the house.

    “Ciao Ciao, he’s still in there, you know he is!” He frantically tugged the other man’s arm. His friend had a paler complexion, with messy raven-black hair and glasses. The flames flickered in his eyes, and he pressed a hand to his mouth.

    “What do we do? We can’t just stand here Yuuri!” The first one begged him.

    “We can’t let either of you closer; it’s too dangerous.” Mila tried a gentler tone.

    “Who exactly are you?” Yuri asked suspiciously. The men ignored them entirely, except for Yakov, who was still holding the fire hose.

    “You,” he pointed at Yakov. “You did this, didn’t you?”

    “Phichit don’t.” The one with glasses pleaded. Victor couldn’t tell if he was crying or if it was just the smoke making his eyes water.

    “You son of a bitch! You did this to him!” his friend held him back as he sobbed accusations at the crew of firemen. “You killed him. YOU KILLED HIM!”

    “WHO THE HELL _ARE_ YOU?” Yuri bellowed.

    “Phichit we have to _go_.” Glasses gripped his arm and started running, dragging the crying man in his wake. They disappeared down an alleyway, leaving the crew stunned.

    “We have to find them!” Yuri snarled, but Victor grabbed his arm to stop him.

    “We’ll never outrun them with our gear. Let them go.”

 

    “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, _oh my god, oh my god, oh my god_ —“ Phichit repeated as the two of them stopped for rest. They’d chosen to rest in the rubble of old burned houses. No one would look for them there, and it would at least shelter them from the wind before they could find better accommodations. Yuuri was barely holding down his hysteria, at least until he’d gotten them to safety. Now that he had nothing to distract him from crying, it came out all at once. He forced out sobs in ragged breaths, panting in between. Phichit buried his head in his shoulder until Yuuri stopped quaking, and eventually, the two sat down in the rubble.

    “Do you think there’s anything left?” Phichit asked. Yuuri offered him a small, shaky smile and dug a small paperback out of his pocket. The Wizard of Oz.

    “I brought it with me. In case our train car was empty.”

    “How about Great Gatsby? And Anne of Green Gables?”

    Yuuri shook his head. “I don’t know if those survived. But I can go check.”

    “Yuuri, you’re not seriously considering—“

    “I’ll be quick.”

    “Be careful Yuuri.”

    “I will. When I get back, we’ll head for Minako’s place.”

 

    Later, Victor found a singed page of a book flying through the air. He caught it, checking to make sure no one saw him and thrust it into his pocket.

    The paper was nothing special, but the annotations in the margins caught his eye. Small comments on individual lines covered every blank space, in between lines, and anything not written on was doodled on. A sketch of a girl in the corner next to a castle with a witty comment on the conditions required for a person to melt. Victor laughed a little bit at the comment, and the writer wasn't too far off from what he could tell.

    The story was cut off at the burn mark, which jarred him back to reality.

    Those two men remained at the edge of his mind. The younger one's screams rang in his ears.

    _“YOU KILLED HIM!”_

    _It wasn’t your fault._ He tried to convince himself. It didn’t work.

 _He chose this for himself._ He insisted. It didn’t work.

_You could’ve tried to save him regardless._

 

    At dusk, he found himself back at the charred remains of the mansion. He’s surprised to see he isn’t alone. The man with the glasses stood amidst the ash and embers. Victor walked up to stand beside him.

    “Why do you burn the books?” Victor is startled when he speaks.

    “…It’s my duty. It’s the law.”

    “What is the law worth to you?” The man knelt down, picking up a scorched book from what looked like a stack of burnt paper. “Anne of Green Gables. Lucy Maud Montgomery. Celestino’s favorite. He was looking for this just yesterday.” He flipped through the book, the black dust clinging to his fingertips. “Arabian Nights. To Kill a Mockingbird. Wind in the Willows. I’m still looking for The Great Gatsby.”

    “What are you saying? Why are you telling me this?” Victor asked, stunned at the fact that the man hadn’t run from the scene when he’d arrived.

    “Because, _Victor Nikiforov_ , you seemed…different from the other firemen. You at least seemed reluctant. Far more reluctant than a leader should be. And even if I’m wrong it’s not like there’s much left for you to burn!” he snapped, but shakily calmed down. “I hope that maybe one day you’ll be able to understand, but for now…” He shut the book and shoved it in his pocket. “I should probably go.”

    “I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.”

    “I’ve told you plenty.”

    “I don’t even know your name!”

    “You just saw me steal a book from the burnt wreckage of Celestino Cialdini’s house. It would be better not to introduce myself.” He let out a dispassionate laugh.

    “I won’t tell anyone, I won’t follow you,” Victor promised without thinking, but it’s genuine, to his surprise. The boy seemed to notice as well.

    “Why?”

    “…because, I don’t know, it feels like the right thing to do?”

    “That’s sweet.”

    “I won’t!”

    “I believe you.”

    “…You do?”

    “Yes.”

    “Then why won’t you tell me?”

    The boy paused, shrugging. “Why do you want to know so badly?”

    Victor had no reply.

    “Fine then. It’s Katsuki.”

    “Katsuki?”

    “Yuuri Katsuki.”

    Victor frowned. “Wait, that sounds familiar—“ But by the time he finished his sentence, Yuuri Katsuki had vanished.


End file.
